Born on November 17, 1907, in New York City, Gurfein received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1926.
He served as a law clerk for Judge Julian Mack of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, from 1930 to 1931.
[4] He was an assistant to Justice Robert H. Jackson, the United States Chief Counsel at the Nuremberg trials in 1945.
[7] Gurfein was nominated by President Nixon on July 11, 1974, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated by Judge Paul R. Hays.
[7] During his first week as a United States District Judge, Gurfein was assigned the Pentagon Papers case and gained national prominence when he refused the government's motion to enjoin publication of the documents.